Avoid these social media missteps

Robert Half Technology and The Creative Group, pointed to some of the missteps that can hurt a career and how to avoid them.
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| 07.19.12 | 10:32 AM

In today&#39;s job market, social media have become standard job search tools for many—especially new grads. But one bad social media blunder—for a seasoned employee or new job seeker—could put your career at risk.</p><p> Kristin Johnson, regional vice president for <a href="http://www.roberthalf.us/">Robert Half Technology</a> and <a href="http://www.creativegroup.com/AboutUs">The Creative Group</a>, pointed to some of the missteps that can hurt a career and how to avoid them.
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<b>Posting inappropriate photos</b> <p>The general rule: Don&#39;t post photos that you wouldn&#39;t want people to see in a professional environment. Sounds simple. But as long as social media exist, this mistake is a risk.</p> <p>&#34;If you do find something that could potentially be unflattering, try to contact the person who posted the information or the website administrator to ask about having it removed,&#34; Johnson said. &#34;With Facebook, it&#39;s nice that you can remove a tag.&#34;</p>
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<b>Leaving part of an online profile blank</b> <p>A blank could look like a mistake, an oversight, or just an uncertainty about answering certain questions.</p> <p>&#34;Wherever you can with your online presence, you want to be able to account for as much information as possible,&#34; Johnson said. &#34;You want to assure that you&#39;ve got a nice profile picture posted. You want to talk about your work history, interests, and affiliations.&#34;
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<b>Typos</b> <p>If the typo made it into an e-mail or e-mail attachment, you won&#39;t be able to get it back. First, make sure it doesn&#39;t happen again. If you inadvertently misspell a name, it can help to extend an apology and say it won&#39;t happen again. That depends on your comfort level.</p> <p>&#34;There&#39;s no magic answer that&#39;s going to fix that with anyone,&#34; Johnson said. &#34;You&#39;ve got to go with our gut.&#34;</p>
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<b>Unprofessional e-mail address</b> <p>Your e-mail address shouldn&#39;t tell prospective employers anything about yourself that they don&#39;t need to know. This includes your band name, favorite sports teams, or nicknames. Also, it&#39;s best to avoid sending job-seeking e-mails from your current work e-mail address, Johnson said.
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<b>Cellphone notifications</b> <p>Turn the cellphone off during your job interview. Do it. Otherwise, you&#39;re at risk of getting a phone call, a text, or any other kind of notification from your phone.</p> <p>&#34;You really want to make sure you turn it off before you walk into an interview,&#34; Johnson said. &#34;You don&#39;t ever want to answer it in front of a prospective employer.&#34;
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<b>Impersonal networking messages</b> <p>Social media make it quick and easy to connect with people who might be able to help with your job search. If this is your approach, slow down a little. Sending everyone a generic message won&#39;t get you very far.</p> <p>&#34;Whether it be Linkedin or a Facebook message or post, if you&#39;re able to be a bit more personalized, use your first name to let them know your status and ask for assistance,&#34; Johnson said.
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<b>Posting rude comments</b> <p>Much like posting inappropriate pictures, these comments can show an unprofessional side that your future or current employer won&#39;t want to see. Johnson&#39;s rule of thumb: never put anything out there that could be considered rude about your company, colleagues, or clients.</p> <p>&#34;Once it&#39;s in writing, you never know who might see it,&#34; she said.</p>
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<b>Using Twitter or Facebook at work</b> <p>In some organizations, it might be perfectly acceptable—even encouraged—to use social media in the office. In others, it&#39;s not. Be aware of the environment you&#39;re in.</p> <p>&#34;Along those lines, there are instances where an iPod might be an acceptable device,&#34; Johnson said. &#34;That&#39;s common in certain workplaces. but it depends.&#34;</p>
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You made one of these social media missteps and don&#39;t want it to destroy your job prospects. What do you do?<p>&#34;My best rule of thumb is to simply apologize, but it depends on the level of the offense&#34; Johnson said. &#34;There are varying levels of etiquette offenses and tolerance by companies and hiring managers.&#34;</p> <p>It&#39;s best to keep your apology short and sweet, Johnson said. The &#34;less is more&#34; approach let&#39;s you move back to the positives.</p>
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